Grommet



March 12, 1940.

H. G. TOWN ER GROMMET Filed Jan. 28', 1938 Inventor Attuvriey Patented Mar. 12, 1940 UNEED STATES PATENT OFFEE 2 Claims.

.(Granted under the act of March 3, 1883, as amended April 30, 1928; 370 0. G. 757) The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes, without the payment to me of any royalty thereon.

The subject of this invention is a grommet.

An atillery projectile is provided with one or more bands which are adapted to engage the rifling of the gun barrel in order to impart rotation to the projectile. It is customary to protect the rotating band during storage and handling of the projectile by means of a grommet made of rope. The rope has looped ends formed by splicing the strands and, when in place around the band, the looped ends are connected by a cord which may be readily severed prior to loading the projectile into the barrel. The rope grommet, in addition to being expensive to make because of the spliced ends, is subject to stretching and consequent slipping from its position about the band.

The purpose of this invention is to provide an easily manufactured grommet which is formed of a resilient material but which is arranged so that it will not stretch.

A practical embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a view of the improved grommet in extended or open position;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail sectional view of one end of the grommet;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a View in side elevation showing the grommet in place on a projectile.

Referring to the drawing by characters of reference, the grommet comprises a shank 5 terminating at each end in a loop 5. The material of which the grommet is formed consists of a metallic core 1 of one or ,more strands of wire having loped ends and a body 8 of a resilient 5 material such as rubber or a rubber-like composition which may be molded on and completely surrounds the core.

In Fig. 4 there is shown a portion of a projectile 9 which is provided with a rotating band 19 Ill. The grommet when placed around the rotating band has its loops 6 connected by a cord II which is severed when it is desired to remove the grommet.

A grommet formed in the manner and of the 15 material herein specified will not be subject to variations in its length and when secured around the rotating band it will remain in place. The operation of forming loops in the ends of the wire is simpler than splicing the ends of a rope. 0

I claim: 1

1. A grommet for protecting the rotating band of a projectile comprising a flexible metal core having ends looped to provide apertures, and a cover of rubber-like material surrounding the core and the looped ends thereof, and being divided within the looped ends to maintain the aperture therein.

2. A grommet for protecting the rotating band of a projectile comprising a shank of flexible and 30 resilient material terminating at each end in a loop to provide an aperture, and a metal core embedded in said material and running through the shank and the loops.

HAROLD G. TOWNER. 

